Governor of the State of Florida, United States, visits LATAM Airlines Group

Governor of the State of Florida, United States, visits LATAM Airlines Group

Santiago, May 22, 2013 -On a mission to promote investment in the state of Florida, United States, Governor Rick Scott was welcomed by Ignacio Cueto, CEO of LAN Airlines, of LATAM Group, one of the main air groups of the continent and the second leading operator between the state of Florida and South America, to continue making ties that allow strengthening and developing connectivity between the region and the United States.

During his visit, the Governor - Who was received also by the U.S. ambassador in Chile Alejandro D. Wolff- was accompanied by a delegation composed of Gray Swoope, Florida Secretary of Commerce and Ananth Prasad, Florida Secretary of Transportation. Also in attendance were Manny Mencia, Sr. Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the International Trade and Business Development unit of Enterprise Florida and Ivan Barrios, Vice President, Trade Development Services at Enterprise Florida.

“It is an honor for LATAM Airlines Group to receive Governor Rick Scott at our headquarters, considering that the state of Florida is the main gateway to the U.S., and Miami is a strategic connection center for both LATAM Airlines Group and its subsidiaries, like TAM. By having the LAN Cargo headquarters in Miami, for many years there has been a very smooth relationship with the authorities of the state of Florida and we are working together to achieve breakthroughs to encourage traffic of the region to this state and so that each day more North Americans can visit and enjoy the attractions of South America, "said Ignacio Cueto.

For his part, Governor Scott said, “We had a great visit with LATAM Airlines Group and hope Florida can continue to expand our relationship with the company. With already 100 flights departing from Miami and Orlando to Latin America, we hope they continue to grow in the Sunshine State.”

Miami is the main international cargo airport of the continent, handling between 80% and 85% of cargo transported between the United States and Latin America, of which 35% of this percentage is handled by LAN CARGO and its affiliate companies. In these facilities, the company has one of the largest and most modern cold warehouses of the locality, mobilizing weekly 3,800 tons of export and 4,000 tons of import.

LATAM Airlines Group, SA and its affiliates are the second leading passenger transport operator between South America and the United States, with operations in Miami, Orlando, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, having transported more than 3 million passengers to and from the country in 2012.